What does “lean” mean?
To lean, the intransitive verb, describes “a deviation from the perpendicular” (as in, not standing up straight, but resting on something for physical support). Lean accepts both leaned and leant as its past tense and past participial forms.
Besides this, lean is also understood as relying on someone or something for support, as in “he leans on his family for help and guidance.” Also, to lean can be understood as having a preference towards something: I’m leaning towards the lasagna over the salmon.
He leaned against the wall for a moment, catching his breath.
She lean on her friend during the difficult ceremony.
Verb forms of “lean”
| Present | Past | Future | |
| simple | I lean | I leaned/leant | I will lean |
| continuous | I am leaning | I was leaning | I will be leaning |
| perfect | I have leaned/leant | I had leaned/leant | I will have leaned/leant |
| perfect continuous | I have been leaning | I had been leaning | I will have been leaning |
Is “lean” a regular or irregular verb?
What makes regular and irregular verbs is: Regular verbs end in “-ed” in their past tense and past participle forms. **Irregular verbs** end in something other than “-ed” in their past tense forms.
Lean has two accepted forms as its past tense and past participle: leant and leaned. Leant is irregular because it ends in -t, not -ed; whereas leaned clearly adheres to the regular rule of verb conjugation to the past by adding an -ed to the end.
British English or American English: leant vs leaned
Which past tense or past participle is appropriate in the particular case depends on geography. Whichever side of the pond is home is what dictates the correct spelling and orthographic conventions to adopt.
Which past tense form of learn to use depends on where you live. American English, thanks to Noah Webster (of Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary), popularized leaned as the standard past tense. UK English, which is the original form, prefers leant. The same is true for other verbs that share the same pattern (i.e., spell, leap, lean, smell, dream and so on).
Leaned/Leant in sentence examples
| Word Form | Examples |
| Present Tense (“lean”) |
Can I lean my bike against the wall? The man was leaning heavily on a stick. The tower is leaning dangerously. |
| Past Tense (“leaned”) |
She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. He leaned over and kissed her. Jackie leaned on her parents to buy her a new car for her birthday. |
| Past Tense (“leant”) |
He leant his face against his hand. Terry leant toward the arts rather than the sciences. He leant forward and dropped his voice. |
Similar verbs (as lean)
| Base Verb | Past Tense | Past Participle |
| dream | dreamed/dreamt | dreamed/dreamt |
| burn | burned/burnt | burned/burnt |
| sleep | slept | slept |
| leap | leapt/leaped | leapt/leaped |
“lean” past tense, visualize someone leaning against a wall—using “leaned” for the action, “leant” for the passive past participle.
Phrases with the word lean
| Phrase | Meaning |
| lean on (someone) | to depend on someone for support, help, or comfort. |
| lean into (something) | to engage with something difficult or uncomfortable directly and with determination. |
| lean and mean | operating very efficiently and without any unnecessary resources. |
| lean years | a period of little prosperity or production. |
| lean towards (something) | to show a preference for something. |
Origin of the word lean
| Of Germanic Origin |
| c. 1200, from Old English hlinian “to recline, lie down, rest; bend or incline” (Mercian hleonian, Northumbrian hlionian), from Proto-Germanic *hlinen. |
Worksheet
According to the blog post, which forms are accepted for the simple past tense of “lean”?
Which word is the base form (present tense) of the verb discussed?
Which of the following sentences uses an incorrect simple past tense form according to the post’s examples?
The blog post states that “Leaned/leant is also the past participle form of the verb”. This form would correctly be used after which auxiliary verb(s) in the perfect tenses?
Based on how “leaned” and “leant” are formed, the verb “lean” is described as having:
She _______ back in her chair and closed her eyes.
The old ladder had _______ there untouched for years.
He _______ against the wall for a moment, catching his breath.
The tower has always _______ slightly to the right.
The blog advises that it’s best to stay _______ in writing when using the past tense/past participle forms.
FAQs
What are the past tenses of lean?
+
Are both leaned and leant correct?
+
Is lean a regular or irregular verb?
+
Give examples of leaned or leant.
+
Why should I be consistent in using lean?
+
Yash, D. "What’s the Past Tense of Lean? Leaned or Leant?." Grammarflex, Jun 21, 2025, https://www.grammarflex.com/leaned-or-leant-whats-the-past-tense-of-lean/.
Sources
-
Merriam-Webster, definition of lean.
-
Etymonline, origin of lean.
-
Cambridge Dictionary, definition of lean.
-
Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries, definition of lean.
-
“Lean.” Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. 2015. Farlex, Inc 3 Nov. 2023 https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/lean
